


Nightmare_2

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comfort, Extremis (Marvel), M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18389330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Knowing that your other has your back is a sensation that far excels any other comforting thought; it leaves you with a warm fuzzy 'it's gonna be alright' while chasing away the doubts and fears and heavy sorrows that threaten to pulverize you every second you're awake.(Part 2 of the Nightmare fics)





	Nightmare_2

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Nightmare(下)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/470267) by 솜수정. 



Being a superhero meant that you get two versions of yourself.  The shadows hidden behind all the fancy glamour and heroics were long and dark like thickening blood.  Psychological (and sometimes physical) scars that were  normally  hidden from the public sometimes reined its ugly head and reminded everyone of its existence,  just  like what was happening right now.  Stephen shook Tony’s shoulders with a gentle hand; the  mildly  convulsing man  was covered  in cold sweat.

“Never, no, _no,_ no—”

“Tony.”

Tony almost screamed out Stephen’s name upon hearing his voice, shooting upwards in a flash. He gripped Stephen’s shoulders with hand that were even more shaking than Stephen’s own, panting like he’d run a mile.  Suddenly  finding himself pinned under Tony, Stephen whispered the engineer’s name, attempting to calm him down.

“Not, hot, you’re… you’re not, not burning, it’s okay, all, all okay.”

Stephen furrowed his eyebrows, delving into his almost-perfect memory. The word ‘Extremis’ resonated in his mind.  A drug that gives the user superior strength and the ability to control extreme heat, but makes the user combust if they were not compatible . He could almost guess what Tony had seen in his dreams.

Looking into Tony’s unstable, nervous eyes, Stephen reassured him while never breaking eye contact that he was okay  . That they haven’t come back. That it was 2018, and they had disintegrated into dust in the relentless flow of time. With the calm tome of Stephen’s voice wrapping around him like a warm blanket, Tony’s trembles  slowly  faded away.

“It’s alright. Everything’s fine. You’re safe. I’m safe.”

Tony’s hand moved from Stephen’s shoulder to his hand.  His fingers curled around Stephen’s own in a crushing grip as if he was a mirage that might disappear at any moment, but Stephen grit his teeth and  steadily  looked into his  impossibly  brown eyes. Then, finally, his fingers went limp, the fight draining out from his body as he flopped down on the bed. 

“It’s alright. Everything’s alright, Tony. We’re okay. The world is okay….”

Nightmares were now familiar nocturnal visitors for both of them. Whispers of ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I’m getting better’ were no longer uttered. They weren’t needed.  Instead, when those uninvited guests came knocking in the middle of the night, they held each other, comforting and grounding as only they could be.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to stay up anyway, so I started translating while my mind was still wandering from sleep-deprivation. not bad for a 2-hour job, though. 4 in the morning does strange things to your brain.


End file.
